The present disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for target cleaning die surfaces of a die of a press machine.
During a stamping operation, foreign debris or contaminates have the potential to cause blemishes or defects in the workpiece being formed when such foreign debris is trapped between the workpiece and the die surfaces of the die of the press machine. When the workpiece is identified as having a blemish or defect caused by contaminates on the die surface and negatively affecting its fitness for use, the following steps typically take place to remedy the situation. The press machine is cycle-stopped and the press machine is secured such that the press machine is unable to operate. Safety gates are raised around the area surrounding the press machine. A human operator procures cleaning material, for example a lint-free towel, and then enters the press machine space. The operator attempts to locate the contaminate causing the defect. The operator wipes the area of the die surface containing the contaminate to remove the contaminate. The operator exits the press machine space and the safety gates are lowered. The press machine is reset and restarted.
Productivity, safety and quality are main concerns related to the above process. Because all of the machines in the area are shut down, productivity and press machine efficiency are negatively affected. The time required to accomplish the above procedure may be several minutes. Additionally, any time the operator enters the press machine space, there exists the potential for injury. Furthermore, frequently, due to their small size, the contaminates are difficult to see and with the current technique of wiping the die surface with a lint-free towel, the contaminates may be moved off of one location on the die surface to another location on the die surface, and are not removed from the die space, thus risking causing further defects.
A need remains for a stamping system capable of performing die cleaning in a cost effective and reliable manner.